School workers disciplined

Down syndrome child, 6, at issue

Published: Monday, October 8, 2012 at 5:10 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 8, 2012 at 5:10 p.m.

Three Marion County School District employees have been disciplined this year for mistreating a 6-year-old student with Down syndrome.

The incidents all happened at Anthony Elementary School. The child, whose name is withheld because of his age and the circumstances, now attends a different school.

A physical education teacher, Leslie Switzer, was suspended without pay for five days last month. Officials say she struck the child in the back with an open hand after he licked her on the lips.

A paraprofessional, Luther Evers, was suspended without pay for 10 days earlier this year for lightly swatting the boy’s backside with the back of his hand and leaving him standing in “time out” near a bathroom door that, when opened, blocked adults from seeing the child for about six to 10 minutes.

A teacher in that same classroom, Markevia Grimes, was issued a written reprimand for the “time out” portion.

The child received no marks or bruises in any of the cases. The incidents were reported to the Department of Children and Families and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. No criminal action or state intervention was taken.

The boy’s mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the boy’s identity, said her son was left behind the door for an entire lunch period. The district said the time period was shorter.

The mother said the district needs to hire better teachers.

“At the very least, they need to better train the teachers,” she said.

School Board Chairwoman Judi Zanetti said these are “isolated incidences.”

“We don’t see these types of situations very often,” she said Monday. “If it had been very serious, the teachers would not be with us anymore.”

School district staff say the incidents did not warrant terminating the employees.

According to Sheriff’s Office and school district reports, the most recent incident occurred on Sept. 6 on the Anthony Elementary playground.

When Switzer leaned over to talk to the child, the boy licked her on the lips. Switzer reacted immediately, smacking the boy on the back with an open hand. It was witnessed by other teachers and students walking to lunch.

School administrators placed her on paid leave and investigated. The boy’s parents did not want to press charges.

Switzer eventually received a five-day unpaid suspension, which the School Board upheld last month. She has served the suspension and returned to work.

There is no doubt the child was having a bad day at school on the day of the incident, the Sheriff’s Office report states.

Scribbled on his school agenda was a note from school staff stating that he “threw a drum at the music teacher, he was physical with adults. He may not have had enough rest,” according to sheriff’s reports.

In December 2011, the same boy was upset and refused to pull up his pants after using the restroom. When the boy continued to be disruptive, and after his pants were back up, Evers used the back of his hand to “lightly” spank the boy’s backside, a sheriff’s report states. Evers told deputies the boy dances around, and that he had no intent to hurt the child.

While authorities investigated that case, they learned that, on that same day, the boy had been placed in “time out” near a bathroom door. When the door was open the boy could not be seen by the teacher or the paraprofessional, district officials said.

Losing sight of a chid is a violation of district policy.

Evers received a 10-day unpaid suspension and a letter of reprimand; Grimes just received a written reprimand.

School district spokesman Kevin Christian said no changes in policy have resulted from any of the cases. He said the three employees have served their punishments.

Christian contacted Anthony Elementary Principal Ryan Bennett to see if any of the three employees wanted to talk about the accusations. They did not call the Star-Banner for comment.

Zanetti said school district staff always explores what’s best for a child’s needs. Since the same child was involved in three incidents in nine months, that’s a sign the child may need to be moved to a different school, which may offer different types of services, she said.

District officials said Monday the child was moved to another school. For student privacy, the district would not disclose the location.

“Hopefully, this will contribute to a more successful learning experience for this student,” Christian said.

Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.

<p>Three Marion County School District employees have been disciplined this year for mistreating a 6-year-old student with Down syndrome.</p><p>The incidents all happened at Anthony Elementary School. The child, whose name is withheld because of his age and the circumstances, now attends a different school.</p><p>A physical education teacher, Leslie Switzer, was suspended without pay for five days last month. Officials say she struck the child in the back with an open hand after he licked her on the lips.</p><p>A paraprofessional, Luther Evers, was suspended without pay for 10 days earlier this year for lightly swatting the boy's backside with the back of his hand and leaving him standing in “time out” near a bathroom door that, when opened, blocked adults from seeing the child for about six to 10 minutes.</p><p>A teacher in that same classroom, Markevia Grimes, was issued a written reprimand for the “time out” portion.</p><p>The child received no marks or bruises in any of the cases. The incidents were reported to the Department of Children and Families and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. No criminal action or state intervention was taken.</p><p>The boy's mother, whose name is being withheld to protect the boy's identity, said her son was left behind the door for an entire lunch period. The district said the time period was shorter.</p><p>The mother said the district needs to hire better teachers.</p><p>“At the very least, they need to better train the teachers,” she said.</p><p>School Board Chairwoman Judi Zanetti said these are “isolated incidences.”</p><p>“We don't see these types of situations very often,” she said Monday. “If it had been very serious, the teachers would not be with us anymore.”</p><p>School district staff say the incidents did not warrant terminating the employees.</p><p>According to Sheriff's Office and school district reports, the most recent incident occurred on Sept. 6 on the Anthony Elementary playground.</p><p>When Switzer leaned over to talk to the child, the boy licked her on the lips. Switzer reacted immediately, smacking the boy on the back with an open hand. It was witnessed by other teachers and students walking to lunch.</p><p>School administrators placed her on paid leave and investigated. The boy's parents did not want to press charges.</p><p>Switzer eventually received a five-day unpaid suspension, which the School Board upheld last month. She has served the suspension and returned to work.</p><p>There is no doubt the child was having a bad day at school on the day of the incident, the Sheriff's Office report states.</p><p>Scribbled on his school agenda was a note from school staff stating that he “threw a drum at the music teacher, he was physical with adults. He may not have had enough rest,” according to sheriff's reports.</p><p>In December 2011, the same boy was upset and refused to pull up his pants after using the restroom. When the boy continued to be disruptive, and after his pants were back up, Evers used the back of his hand to “lightly” spank the boy's backside, a sheriff's report states. Evers told deputies the boy dances around, and that he had no intent to hurt the child.</p><p>While authorities investigated that case, they learned that, on that same day, the boy had been placed in “time out” near a bathroom door. When the door was open the boy could not be seen by the teacher or the paraprofessional, district officials said.</p><p>Losing sight of a chid is a violation of district policy.</p><p>Evers received a 10-day unpaid suspension and a letter of reprimand; Grimes just received a written reprimand.</p><p>School district spokesman Kevin Christian said no changes in policy have resulted from any of the cases. He said the three employees have served their punishments.</p><p>Christian contacted Anthony Elementary Principal Ryan Bennett to see if any of the three employees wanted to talk about the accusations. They did not call the Star-Banner for comment.</p><p>Zanetti said school district staff always explores what's best for a child's needs. Since the same child was involved in three incidents in nine months, that's a sign the child may need to be moved to a different school, which may offer different types of services, she said.</p><p>District officials said Monday the child was moved to another school. For student privacy, the district would not disclose the location.</p><p>“Hopefully, this will contribute to a more successful learning experience for this student,” Christian said.</p><p><i>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.</i></p>